MACEDONIA -- Upon her retirement, Lorain native Marti Skarupa did not begin crocheting in her rocking chair while reminiscing about the good old days.

Instead, at age 66, Skarupa is about to represent Ohio in the Ms. Senior America contest that will take place Oct. 20 through Oct. 25 in Atlantic City, N.J.

"I will be competing against the contestants from the other states," said Skarupa, a member of Lorain High School class of 1964.

She has a bachelor's degree in education and a master's in educational psychology from Kent State University.

"My professional teaching experience ranges from children in preschool and Montessori to young adults in high school to whom I taught English as a second language and Spanish as a foreign language," said Skarupa, who taught for 25 years.

She will turn 67 in December.

Skarupa and her husband of 42 years, Joe, have one son, David, who is now a trauma surgeon in Greenville, N.C.

The Skarupas reside in Macedonia and they spend their winters in South Carolina.

For the talent portion of the national contest, Skarupa will perform a contemporary flamenco dance.

"There is a lot of tapping and a lot of spins. Over 24 spins. I hope my joints hold up, because I'm stomping and coming down hard on my feet forcefully. So far, so good," she said.

"Just because you've reached a certain age does not mean life has to change that drastically. You can still fulfill your dreams. In my particular case, it was not until I retired that I became an actress, a dancer and wrote a children's book," Marti said.

That bilingual book is titled, "Look How Lovely! ¡Mira qué lindo!" and is available on Amazon.com as well as bit.ly/1c49OPB.

Before she stepped headlong into the Ms. Senior America pageant, Skarupa said she researched it.

"I liked what I was reading about it. In 1971, Dr. Al Mott founded the contest," she said. "He had two major goals. One was to change the image of senior citizens, which was really bleak at that time. And he wanted to highlight all of the volunteerism that seniors have done throughout their lives and to showcase the ability and talent and inner beauty in a pageant format and celebrate what he calls 'the age of elegance.'

"I thought, I can do this. This is right up my alley," Skarupa said.

When her son found out she had entered the contest, Skarupa said she could tell he was happy about it by the smile on his face.

"He said, 'Good for you, mom! Way to go!'" she recalled.

"I'm thrilled," added Joe Skarupa. "She has the talent to perform the flamenco dance and she has the theater presence and overall presence to be elegant and to represent all seniors. She's enthusiastic and excited about it. It's in her blood."

Marti Skarupa has performed in community theater in both Ohio and South Carolina and appeared as an extra in the movie "Alex Cross."

She said she has nothing but good memories of growing up in Lorain.

"I grew up on the east side. I romanticize my growing up and idealize it, because of that lake," Skarupa said. "All my memories are highlighted by the lake and the sand and the seagulls, the breeze, the boats coming into the harbor, the Bascule Bridge, Riverside Park, all of it."

"What a treasure we always had with that lakefront. It was almost like having a gold mine in your backyard," she added.

She also recalled the once-bustling downtown shopping area of Lorain.

"One has to be a certain age to remember this. But I remember Ted Jacobs' clothing store and getting chocolate malts at Sutter's. They were happy days, listening to music and meeting friends downtown. It was like the TV show "Happy Days," said Skarupa. "I remember Christmas shopping along Broadway and the falling snow. It always reminds me of Bedford Falls in the movie, 'It's a Wonderful Life.'

"I remember our annual trips to Cedar Point when I was a child, when Cedar Point was the color of green and not the color of cold concrete," she said.

Regarding the upcoming pageant, Skarupa said, "Senior citizens are almost like the backbone of America. We have contributed often and so much to our family, our community and our nation. Each of us is beautiful in our own way. We should be celebrating that beauty.

"My motto has always been, 'Nothing is impossible unless you believe it is impossible,'" Skarupa said.